The present invention relates to an engine starter suitable for an all-terrain vehicle (hereinafter referred to as ATV) in which the engine sometimes needs to be started by using a recoil device.
ATV known as an off-road vehicle is mainly used for driving over grassy, sandy, or hilly terrain, and road races on such rough terrain by using ATV are commonly held. While driving, the vehicle may go into a puddle or a muddy spot and be stuck therein, with the engine being stalled. ATV is normally provided with an engine starter for immediately starting the engine in such situation.
FIG. 4A is a front view of a known engine and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line Axe2x80x94A in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a portion where the engine starter 100 including a recoil device 101 and a starter device 102 is mounted.
The recoil device 101 is accommodated within a recoil cover 103. Within the recoil cover 103 are also encased a flywheel 105 attached to a distal end of a crankshaft 104, ring gears 106 integrally fixed to the flywheel 105, and pinions 102a which are parts of the starter device 102 and make engagement with the ring gears 106 when the starter device 102 is operated, as shown in FIG. 5. A recoil lever 107 is loosely fitted into a recoil guide 108 protruded on an upper part of the recoil cover 103, and a screwed drain plug 109 is provided at a lower part of the recoil cover 103 as shown in FIG. 4A.
When the recoil lever 107 is pulled in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 4A, recoil pulleys 111 are rotated through ropes 110 within the recoil device 101, whereupon the flywheel 105 are operatively rotated with the recoil pulleys 111, thereby rotating the crankshaft 104 and causing the engine to start. The ring gears 106 integrally attached to the flywheel 105 are also rotated with the flywheel 105.
When the vehicle is stuck in a muddy spot or a puddle and the engine stops, by pulling the recoil lever 107 for starting the engine as described above may allow a liquid such as muddy water to enter the recoil cover 103 through a gap G (see FIG. 4B) formed between the recoil guide 108 and the ropes 110. Such muddy water may be spattered around by the rotating ring gears 106 within the recoil cover 103, causing the pinions 102a of the starter device 102 to rust.
A solution to this problem would be to remove muddy water collected inside the recoil cover 103 immediately, followed by adequate rust-resisting treatment. However, with the conventional drain plug 109, removal of the muddy water entails opening and closing of the plug using a tool, and such operation is often shunned in view of the inconvenience.
Another solution to the problem would be to provide a recoil cover chamber for accommodating the recoil device therein and flywheel cover chamber for encasing the flywheel, the ring gears, and the pinions engaged therewith, and further a cooling fan in some cases, individually, such that a liquid-tight seal is formed between the two chambers. While such structure would be effective to prevent muddy water from entering the flywheel cover chamber, it is undesirable from a physical standpoint of the engine which should be small-sized and light-weighted.
An object of the present invention is to provide an engine starter which solves the problem of rusting of pinions in the starter device induced by a liquid such as muddy water which infiltrates into the cover, while satisfying the physical requirements of small size and light weight of the engine.
Another object of the invention is to provide an engine starter with which the presence of such a liquid within the recoil cover is readily discerned.
To achieve the above-described objects, an engine starter according to a first aspect of the invention includes a recoil device, a ring gear operatively rotated with the recoil device, a recoil cover for accommodating the recoil device and the ring gear therein, a starter device having pinions engaged with the ring gear, and a drain mechanism provided to the recoil cover which enables a liquid such as muddy water which has entered from the recoil cover to be discharged by one-touch operation. The drain mechanism enables any liquid which has entered from the recoil cover to be swiftly removed, whereby the problem of rusting of the pinions of the starter device is solved, while the physical requirements of small size and light weight of the engine also are satisfied.
Drain mechanism which lets a liquid drain by one-touch operation has a structure wherein the liquid within the recoil cover is readily discharged by removing a plug member or the like without using a tool. Thus the drain mechanism if the invention allows easy access to the interior of the recoil cover for removing muddy water and for easy maintenance.
In the engine starter according to a second aspect of the invention, the drain mechanism includes a transparent pipe member attached to the recoil cover, and a plug member fitted to the pipe member. Thereby, the drain mechanism not only permits the muddy water inside the recoil cover to be swiftly removed, but also makes the muddy water present inside the recoil cover readily discernible from outside.
In the engine starter according to a third aspect of the invention, the recoil cover includes a window for allowing the liquid therein to be visible from outside. The liquid such as muddy water which has entered from the recoil cover is therefore discernible from outside. Visual perception of liquid present inside the recoil cover is further facilitated by the provision of such window in addition to the drain mechanism as set forth in the foregoing.
In the engine starter according to a fourth aspect of the invention, the recoil cover includes a compressed air injection hole for introducing compressed air to forcibly discharge the liquid such as muddy water inside the recoil cover, and a lid member for closing the compressed air injection hole. Thereby, muddy water can be quickly and thoroughly removed by forcibly discharging same using the compressed air.